Note: Beginning in June 2012, opinions will be posted as Adobe PDFs. You can download a free copy of Adobe Reader here.

The summary following each opinion is prepared to offer lawyers and the public a general overview
of what a particular opinion decides. The summary is not necessarily a full description of the
issues discussed in an opinion.

In this appeal from a family court order granting Mr. Yates a divorce on the grounds of physical cruelty, the court of appeals considers whether the family court (1) abused its discretion by allowing Mr. Yates to amend his complaint; (2) erred in finding Mr. Yates was entitled to a divorce on the grounds of the habitual use of alcohol; (3) erred in declining to let the parties’ child testify on Mrs. Yates’s behalf; and (4) issued a divorce order resulting from an ex parte communication between Mr. Yates’s counsel and the family court judge.

Billy Jason Keith appeals his convictions for possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, and ketamine arguing there was insufficient probable cause to issue the search warrant that led to the seizure of illegal drugs from his home and the trial court therefore erred in admitting the evidence obtained during the search.